As technology develops, California is using water in new and interesting ways. One Bay Area wastewater treatment plant opted to test the feasibility of a new ultraviolet disinfection process on effluent for reuse as potable water.

Engineers at a UV treatment company tapped Rain for Rent to provide pumps, pipe and system design for the pilot project. Wastewater was taken from the treatment plant and treated. To meet strict National Water Research Institute standards, the effluent was treated with UV. After pilot testing, the treated effluent would later be more finely processed and delivered to a drinking water plant for final treatment.

The variable amounts of effluent exiting the wastewater treatment facility – between 14 GPM and 7,600 GPM – required a scalable solution to route effluent through the UV treatment system.

Rain for Rent's emission-free electric pumps were tied into the treatment plant's electrical grid. Aluminum and HDPE pipe were used to divert effluent through the UV treatment system. The effluent was pumped using electric submersible pumps for low flows, and a series of 6, 8 and 12-inch electric-driven centrifugal pumps with variable frequency drives allowing them to adjust to changing flow rates.

The five-phase pilot testing project lasted six months, putting five different UV treatment devices through testing to determine feasibility and suitability.